JLSleather

Either way - what's called "tooled" leather is often done flat, "embossing" leather is often done after basic forming. I don't have much use for 3-d "set it on a shelf somewhere to look at" leather, but it IS done.

Impossible to say just by looking at a pic. Best way, the guy who made it could tell you. But I'm seen some nice finish with Tan-Kote, Saddle-Lac (though I wouldn't recommend it for this), Resolene,

Now we just needa git Bob tell us what he's buildin' with that plywood

Making what product? I've never tried it, because I've not had CAUSE to try it.

Weird -- I would have thought it would crack.

I'm assuming that it DID COME WITH the spring steel tension adjustment piece? I don't see it in your pic, though maybe you removed it for the picture.... (?)

No tension in WHAT spring? That piece of spring steel is adjusted with a TENSION SCREW, which you can get from Bob for like pennies and replace if the hole isn't stripped out.

Wasn't so big on the P320? Maybe you more of a 226 guy?

You can replace that bobbin assembly -- think its about $80. Pop in / Pop out = done.

The stamped one is Fiebings Pro Dye. The smooth finish is W/C DRUM DYED skirting (comes already black).

No point lookin' down the end .. there are NO peas in there

Didja check the "fancy smancy" video, or just mine?@! Next time I'm at the market, I'm fixina buy me a couple cans of peas.... however many it takes to make my videos "1080 peas" - so they'll be nicer, more valuable videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMVHrTPf1AQ

Don't forget inspiration. We all know that "A squared + B squared= C squared. And we can all read it and "know"it. And we can work with it for a while, and "get" it. But what level of GENIUS does that require to be sitting under a shade tree, with someone playing the flute over there, and it "occurs" to you that "the square of the hypotenuse of a right angle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides" ?@! I'm with Sam Andrews -- I can show you leatherwork in a short time, the rest is PRACTICE. I'm pretty good at it, but I didn't INVENT any of it.

Point taken Worth repeating.

OH NO NO NO -- that just won't do! The holster looks pretty good (who doesn't like tight, consistent stitches?@!) but we can't have a leather worker running around in a WEB BELT

Think about that -- is it Hermann Oak, or is it these retailers? I have purchased leather from quite a few different places., sometimes left to wonder how they even stay in business - I suspect it has something to do with selling to the inexperienced and those not properly warned. . But direct from Hermann Oak is the ONLY place that has never sent me a hide I didn't like. I absolutely recommend ordering direct from the tannery. $8 per foot for fantastic leather. Direct from HO, a side of top notch, "A" leather is about $200. IF a retailer marks it up a bit and lets you avoid buying 10+ sides, fair enough. Think about it - say you only want one side. Those people charging $300 are out of control - let's just skip those. leather, marked up, should look and carve just like if I would have got it direct from HO - and any deviation is unacceptable. You don't get to sell me lower grade leather AND mark up the price. AND, I have had retailers (they are often called "suppliers", but that's not actually true) sell me something substandard - then offer to "fix it" by sending me a different batch or refunding my money. But that's not a leather purchase - that's a 0% interest LOAN to them

If you're tooling, you'll need vegetable tanned leather. The best leathers are from Hermann Oak and WIckett&Craig tanneries. You can get these leathers from retailers, but expect the price to be jacked up. If you're using small pieces, maybe it's worth the mark up for the convenience of the smaller cuts. Start with what you want to make. That will determine the thickness you want.

Yup - video makes it look gold... probably camera settings and lighting. Machines like aluminininim, but look like brass or bronze in the show. Maintenance in a former life, I've tore up a chunk of 6061 a time er two...

So in down under, "aluminium" is the word they use for free machining bronze?

There is no "dilemma", there is no "rule". It's YOURS - so you charge what you choose. I don't recommend what OTHER people should charge for their work, but I'll mention a couple things about what I do. If you have people asking to buy your stuff, that's good, right? Here's a clip from a discussion about this type of thing. On a long drive, I stopped in a convenience store to fuel and stand up for a bit. While in line at the counter, I took a bite out of the donut I was getting. When I was next in line, I joked with the girl at the counter; “How much for these damaged donuts?” She looked at the bite taken out and said ‘Damaged ones are free. But that one’s not damaged, that’s custom – and it costs extra”. We both laughed, I paid and left. More of the story at http://www.jlsleather.com/hand-made-well-made/ and http://www.jlsleather.com/compare-items/

Okay.

Never any trouble with the cardboard. But I get CLEAN stuff.. nothing that has actually BEEN used on a pallet. If you move, those big moving boxes work great, cut a corner so it lays flat.

Caught me replying, so I'll continue, but let me put this in at teh top of what I started. I don't pay for "lessons" or "classes", but it makes no difference to me if the NEXT guy does. Not my business or my concern. Now, here's what I had started to reply... ______________ Hmmm... musta read it wrong But if "carving and content go hand in hand", then everybody who used the craftaid would all look the same, right? No matter. Regardless of where I "got" it, I got it. Here's one that is colored ONLY -- not carved at all. It IS from a "craftaid", if I remember right. For those wanting to carve it, simply hit it deeper where the color is richer, and there ya go (lightly double bevel down the center of the leaves). SHOOT..... shoulda maybe added that if'n a guy wanted to , could reverse engineer that rose... go from the rose to the drawing .. just as easy ..